1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cosmetic case of the type incorporating a replaceable internal refill container, and a refill container cover part as means of sealing the cosmetic material contained in the cosmetic case.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cosmetic case similar to the type presented in this application has been put forth by Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 10-192044. The aforesaid Japanese patent publication describes a cosmetic case structure in which a mirror is attached to the underside of a rotatably hinged main case cover, a main latch used to maintain the main case cover in a closed position against a main case, and front and rear compartments formed by means of a divider wall located at the approximate center of the main case. The main case thus provides a rear compartment that may contain a "puff" or other like cosmetic applicator tool, and a front compartment that may include a tray container as means of holding a cosmetic substance within the main case. A container cover is rotatably attached to hinge pins formed in a depression located at the approximate center of the aforesaid divider wall. A container latch is installed to the aforesaid container cover as means of atmospherically sealing the container cover against the container, and thus sealing the cosmetic substance in the aforesaid tray container.
The aforesaid hinge pins are transversely aligned at the rear of the front compartment so as to allow the inner cover to rotate upward on a fore-aft axis, thus allowing the outer and inner covers to rotate in an upward and rearward direction when the main latch is released.
This structure, in which the container cover overlaps the inner surface of the main case cover when both covers are open, not only limits the amount of mirror surface exposed on the underside of the main case cover, but also prevents the container cover from opening to a desirably wide angle that can provide easier access to the cosmetic material.
Moreover, as most cosmetic materials evaporate relatively quickly, it is desirable, at the time of assembly, to seal the cosmetic case as soon as possible after the tray container is filled with the cosmetic material. As a result of the main case and container tray being separate components, the assembly process involves a sequence in which the tray is filled with the cosmetic material and placed in the lower case after which the inner cover is installed and closed over the tray. A faster assembly process than this is desired because the cosmetic material is exposed to the atmosphere for a relatively long period of time. One method utilized to compensate for this problem is to install a temporary cover over the cosmetic tray during the assembly process. This method, however, increases the assembly cost and complicates the assembly procedure.
There is an additional problem in that the aforesaid main case cover and refill container cover latches must be released separately, and the main case cover and refill container cover opened separately, to provide access to the cosmetic material. This two-stage process makes it somewhat awkward and inconvenient to use the cosmetic case.